Door-hanger track



. P. FRANTZ.

DOOR HANGER TRACK. APPLxcATl0N F|LED APR.17, 1916.

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Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

UNITED STATES lPATENT OIVIBICII.l

IPET'ERFRANTZ, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FRANTZ MANUFACTURING GO., OF STERLING, IIJLIIWOL,y A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DOOBLHANGER TRACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented' Feb. 3, 1920;

Application filed April 17, 1916. Serial No. 91,529. j

brackets which have their upper end por-y tions secured to the building and which are bent to conform to the outer surface of the track. The said track sections have usually been made from heavy sheet-metal, and the brackets are each formed from a separate piece of metal. The said brackets have usu- A ally been arranged at the ends of the sec'- tions, so that each bracket would covereor conceal the butt-joint between adjacent secL tions. These brackets were considered necessary, moreover, to stiften the housing against sagging under the weight of the door.

The object of my invention is, therefore, to provide an improved construction whereby the said brackets are not necessary, and of such character that the sections of the track overlap one upon the other, the overlapping end portion of each section serving as a substitute for the bracket previously employed for this purpose, thereby stiffening the housing against sagging under the weight of the door, and obviating the necessity of using said brackets.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general e'iiciency and desirability of a sectional door-hanger-track of this particular character.

To these and other useful ends, my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed'.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a cross-section of a doorhanger-track embodying the principles of my invention, the upper portion thereof being broken away for convenience ofillustration, and the hanger itself and adjacent portions of the building and thedoor being also shown.

Fig., 2j is; an. inside elevation, ofi the said track, on a larger scale, showing one of the lap-joints by which the sections of the track are connected together. v

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 in Fig 2.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section online 47-4 in Fig. 2. y

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises a track and housing composed of a plurality ofsheet-metal sections arranged end to end, each section having an end' portion A at one end thereof, and each section having an end portion B at the other end thereof. In cross-section, the track housing has a vertical web 1an inclined'web 2 joined to said vertical. web, a lower vertical web` 3 which depends from the outer edge of the saidv inclined web, and an outwardly inclined lower flange A, whereby the housing'thus formed will readily shed water. .The track itself is formed by a trough-shaped sectionr of metaly 5 which is suitably secured to the inner surface of the web 3, thus providing a groove for the wheel 6 of the hanger, which latter may be of l'any suitable or desired character. The end portion A of each section isfperfectly straight clear to its edge am which latter is. the vertical end edge. of the section. lThe track 5 at this end4 of theV section is cut ofi"` straight, except for a tongue 7 which projects a distance toward the edge, a, it being observed that the end edge 8 of the track 5 is a distance backv from the said edge a, and that the said tongue is: in the horizontal plane of the rivets 9 by which the track is secured' t0 the housing. The end portion B ofy each section is perfectly straight until' `it' reaches the shoulderv b, which latter is opposed totheedge a, being either direct-ly in contact therewithor spaced a slight distance therefrom (as shown in the drawings)l to suit .the requirements. From. this shoulder b. the end portion B then eX- tends outside ofthe end portion A, the over-` lapping portion 10 serving as a sort of reinforce or. integral bracket to cover the joint between the two sections. On the end portion B, the track 5 hasits end por-` tion extended beyond the shoulder btoaoverlap the edge a of the other section, and extends far enough to engage the edgel 8 of the. other track section. Also, `this overlapL ping portion 11 of the track is` provided with a notchl 12y to receive thel tongue7 and as this tonguearidfgroove joint; betwen the track is composed of sections held in alinement and connected together' only through the medium of said housing, said track-sections inter-locking at the inner side of the lap-joint to prevent relative up-and-down movement between the ends thereof and to prevent the two thicknesses of the lap-joint from spreading apart.

5. In a device of the class set forth, a combined housing and track to inclose and support` the hangers of a door consisting of sheet metal sections secured together and bent longitudinally into the desired shape, and having transverse integral reinforcing members provided at intervals along the length thereof to support the housing and track, these members following the crosssectional shape of the sheet metal sections and providing the stiffness necessary for supporting the door.

6. Thestructure of claim 5, said transverse stiffening members being positioned at each of the joints of the sheet metal sections and being formed by overlapping the adjacent ends thereof, means being provided for fastening the upper overlapped portions ofgthe sheet metal sections together, and a track member rigidly fastened along the lower portion of the housing on the inner surface thereof by rivets inserted at eachv side of each member, so that the lower portions of the housing sections are held in alinement. .t

7. The structure of claim 5, said transverse stiffening members being positioned at each of the joints of the sections and being formed by offsetting and overlapping the adjacent ends of the sections, the overlap being on the exterior of the housing and the odset being equal to the thickness of the sheet metal, whereby the track-receiving inner surface of the housing is free of projections, and so that the track is against the inner surface of the housing between the joints, this track extending across the joints between the sections thereof to thereby hold the sections in alinement and to keep the overlapped portions in tight contact.

8. In a door hanger track and housing, the combination of (l) sheet metal housing sections provided with overlapping ends, (2) a sectional track on the inner surface thereof having joints between the abutting ends of the track-sections, each joint being disposed on the inner thickness of the adjacent overlap to keep the housing sections in alinement, and provided with means to hold thetrack-sections in horizontal alinement, and (3) a door hanger on said track to support the door on the housing.

9. In a door hanger track and housing, the combination of sheet metal housing sections provided with overlapping ends, a sectional track on the inner surface thereof having joints between the abutting ends of the track-sections, each joint being disposed on the inner thickness of the adjacent overlap to keep the housing sections in alinement, and provided with means to hold the track-sections in horizontal alinement, said means comprising a tongue and groove for each joint to hold the abutting ends of the track-sections against relative displacement vertically, and a door hanger on said track to support the door on the housing.

10., In Ya door hanger track and housing, the combination of (l) sheet metal housing sections provided with overlapping ends, (2) a sectional track on the inner surface thereof having joints between the abutting ends of the track-sections, each joint being disposed on the inner thickness of the adjacent overlap to keep the housing sections in alinement, and provided with means to hold the track-sections in horizontal alinement, and (3) a door hanger on said track to support the door on the housing, each housing section being offset outwardly at one end thereof to form the overlap and to in effect provide a Hat inner surface upon which to secure said track.

11. In a door hanger track and housing, the combination of sheet metal housing sections provided with overlapping ends, the upper end portions of each overlap being perforated through the two thicknesses thereof to receive a device to hold thetwo housing sections against endwise relative displacement and to support the housing in position, a sectional track on the inner surface thereof having joints between the abutting ends of the track-sections, each joint being disposed on the inner thickness of the adjacent overlap to keep the housing` sections in alinement, and provided with a tongue and groove at each joint to hold the track-sections in horizontal alinement, and a door hanger on said track to support the door on the housing.

Signed by me at Sterling, Ill., this sixth day of April, 1916.

PETER FRANTZ. 

